-a rich impression of the warmth and color of Zimbabwean family life, a view of the traumas of the struggle for independence through a series of sharp vignettes, and, above all, a sense of the mother's passionate conviction that "Africa needs the hearts and minds of its sons and daughters."
New York Times Review
"African women and especially young ones have been silent for so long. We are the discussed, the studied, the analysed, and the written about. And so I am privileged to have been able to raise my voice and speak for what we felt and cried and yearned.”
--J Nipopo Maraire
Neurosurgeon, Dr Nozipo Maraire give a rousing talk challenging the audience to change their minds..no scalpel required Dr J Nozipo Maraire is a neurosurgeon, entrepreneur and writer. She is author of Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter. The novel was published in 1996 and was a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year" and a Boston Globe bestseller.
PZDP Book Study: Zenzele
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 7 p.m.
As part of celebrating our 10 year anniversary of partnership with the Presbytery of Zimbabwe, the Presbytery of Denver will host a book discussion led by The Reverend Russ Kane. We will be reading Zenzele: A Letter For My Daughter by Nozipo Maraire.
Maraire evokes the moving story of a mother reaching out to her daughter, a student at Harvard, to share the lessons life has taught her and bring the two closer than ever before. Interweaving history and memories, disappointments and dreams, Zenzele tells the tales of Zimbabwe's struggle for independence and the men and women who shaped it: Zenzele's father, an outspoken activist lawyer; her aunt, a schoolteacher by day and secret guerrilla fighter by night; and her cousin, a maid and a spy.
This event promises to provide insight and deeper understanding into the life and culture of our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe. In so doing, we would expect to see our own lives, culture and faith in a fresh light, too.
The book study will be held at Central Presbyterian Church at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 29th. Please RSVP on our Facebook Event Page. For a map and parking information near Central, click here. To purchase a copy of Zenzele, follow this link.
This event is one in a series of celebrations honoring the 10th Anniversary of the Partnership of Zimbabwe and Denver Presbyteries (PZDP). To read more about all of the anniversary events click here. To learn more about the PZDP click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Nozipo Maraire (born in Mangula, Southern Rhodesia in 1964) is a Zimbabwean doctor, entrepreneur and writer. She is the author of Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter. The novel was published in 1996, was a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year" and a Boston Globe bestseller. It has been published and translated into over 14 languages. She is a full-time practicing neurosurgeon. Dr. Maraire has initiated neurosurgery programs in several institutions in Delaware, Ohio and Oregon. She has traveled, been educated and lived in many countries including Jamaica, the United States, Canada and Wales. She was selected to attend Atlantic College, one of the United World Colleges, in Wales. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and then attended The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She completed her neurosurgery training at Yale. She was awarded a Clinical Fellowship Award by The Congress of Neurological Surgeons which she used to work with Dr. Fred Epstein in pediatric neurosurgery in New York City.
She is a public speaker who has been invited to lecture at colleges and universities across the country. Dr. Maraire has spoken to numerous book clubs and civic organizations and served on many literary panels including being an invited guest of The Gotenberg Literary Festival. She has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including The Rotary Foundation, The Ross Ragland Theater and The South North Development Institute. She has worked with and for many development agencies including The World Health Organization, NORAD, the Norwegian aid agency and The Synergos Institute. She worked with the Synergos Institute as a consultant and program coordinator and was instrumental in forming community investment funds southern Africa. She is currently the Chairman of the Board for the National Council for the Arts in Zimbabwe.
Maraire divides her time between the US and Zimbabwe. She is married to Allen Chiura, a urologist, also from Zimbabwe. They have four children.